What is the China S1 visa?
Unofficial answer · Sources checked
The S1 visa is issued to the spouses, parents, children under the age of 18 and parents-in-law of a foreigner residing in China for work, study or other purposes who apply for a long-term visit, and to people who need to reside in China for other personal matters — that is Article 6(10) of the Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners (State Council Decree No. 637). Short-term family visits fall to the S2 visa under the same item. If you enter on an S1 visa, you must apply for a residence permit within 30 days of arrival.
What the rules say
Article 6(10) of the Regulations reads: "The S1 visa is issued to the spouses, parents, children under the age of 18 or parents-in-law of foreigners residing in China for work, study or other purposes who apply for a long-term visit to China, as well as for persons who need to reside in China for other personal matters; the S2 visa is for family members of foreigners staying or residing in China for work, study or other purposes who apply for a short-term visit to China, as well as for persons who need to stay in China for other personal matters."
Three things follow from that wording. The relationship list is closed: spouse, parent, child under 18, parent-in-law. The person you are joining has to be a foreigner residing in China, and work and study are named as only two of the possible purposes. And the visa covers two different situations in one category — listed family members arriving for a long stay, and anyone else who needs to reside in China for private matters.
The Regulations are State Council Decree No. 637, promulgated on 12 July 2013 and in force from 1 September 2013.
What the foreign ministry and one embassy list
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs publishes general visa application instructions on its consular service site. For the S1 visa it lists three things:
- An invitation letter from the inviting individual, described as a foreigner who stays or resides in China for work or studies. The letter must contain the invited person's personal information (name, gender, date of birth and so on); the visit details (reason for coming, intended date of arrival, intended place of residence, intended duration of residence, relationship to the inviting individual, who pays for the travel); and the inviting individual's details (name, phone number, address, signature).
- Photocopies of the inviting individual's passport bio-page and residence permit.
- The original and a photocopy of the kinship certification — a marriage certificate, birth certificate, kinship certification issued by the public security police station, notarized kinship certificate or similar — showing the relationship (spouse, parent, son or daughter under 18, parent-in-law) between the applicant and the inviting individual.
That page also states its own limit: requirements are "as required by the Chinese Embassy or Consulate-General in your locality". So the mission handling your file decides what you actually hand in.
| Document | Ministry of Foreign Affairs general instruction | Embassy in the United Kingdom page |
|---|---|---|
| Invitation letter | From the inviting individual, a foreigner staying or residing in China for work or studies, with the contents listed above | From a foreigner who stays or resides in China for work or studies |
| Inviter's papers | Photocopy of passport bio-page and residence permit | Photocopy of the inviter's passport and residence permit |
| Kinship proof | Original plus photocopy of marriage certificate, birth certificate, police-station kinship certification, notarized kinship certificate, etc. | Original certification: marriage certificate, birth certificate, certification of kinship issued by the Public Security Bureau, or notarized certification of kinship |
| Family definition | Spouses, parents, sons or daughters under 18, parents-in-law | The page defines "immediate family members" as spouses, parents, sons or daughters under 18, parents-in-law |
The second column is the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United Kingdom's own list, not a rule for every Chinese mission. It asks for the original kinship certification rather than an original plus photocopy, and it does not print the invitation-letter contents the Ministry's page sets out.
After entry: the residence permit
Three documents set this step. Article 30 of the Exit and Entry Administration Law says that where the visa held by a foreigner specifies that a residence permit is needed after entry, the holder shall, within 30 days from the date of entry, apply to the exit/entry administration of a public security organ under a local people's government at or above county level in the proposed place of residence. The applicant submits the passport or other international travel document and the relevant information of the specific application matter, and provides biometric identification information such as fingerprints. The administration examines the application and makes a decision within 15 days of receipt. Duration follows the purpose of residence: a work-type permit runs 90 days at minimum and five years at maximum, and a non-work-type permit 180 days at minimum and five years at maximum.
Both the Ministry's instruction and the embassy page repeat the same 30-day deadline in their own words: the holder must apply to the exit-entry administration of the public security bureau of the people's government at or above county level of the intended place of residence.
The National Immigration Administration's service guide for residence permits gives the private-affairs category its own document list: those who entered on an S1 visa as visiting relatives (私人事务类, private-affairs category) submit a letter from the person being visited setting out the kinship relationship — spouse, parent, spouse's parent, child under 18 — together with that person's residence permit; a permit matching the visited person's period of residence in China may then be issued. Anyone else in the category submits proof related to the private matter being handled, and may be issued a permit with a period of residence of no more than one year. That guide is published in Chinese; the English wording here is this site's translation.
What the pages read for this page do not say
The Ministry's instruction and the embassy page print no fee figure and no processing time; the embassy page points readers to the latest notice on visa fees on the embassy website. Neither page nor the articles read for this page state a test for granting or refusing an S1 application.
Where your own file is concerned — which documents your mission wants, whether your kinship certificate needs legalisation in a particular form, what duration your office will endorse — ask the embassy or visa centre handling your application, your university's international student office, or the exit-entry office at your place of residence.
Related questions
Does the child have to be under 18?
Yes, on the texts read here. Article 6(10) says "children under the age of 18"; the Ministry's instruction and the embassy page both say "sons or daughters under the age of 18"; and the National Immigration Administration's service guide repeats "children under 18" for the visiting-relatives letter at the residence permit stage. The sections read for this page do not describe another route for a child of 18 or over.
How long can the residence permit run?
Under Article 30 of the Law, a non-work-type residence permit is valid 180 days at the minimum and five years at the maximum, and the administration sets the duration according to the purpose of residence. Under the National Immigration Administration's guide, a visiting relative on an S1 visa may receive a permit matching the visited person's residence period in China, and other personal-matter applicants a permit of no more than one year. The two documents are separate texts; the guide does not restate the Law's minimum.
Who decides the residence permit application, and how quickly?
The exit/entry administration of the public security organ under the local people's government at or above county level in your proposed place of residence, under Article 30 of the Law. The same article gives it 15 days from the date of receipt to conduct its examination and make a decision.
Sources
- Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners (English text), Article 6(10) — National Immigration Administration
- Visa Application Instructions of the People's Republic of China — Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, China Consular Services
- Part Two: How to Apply for a Visa for China (Mainland only) — Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United Kingdom
- Service guide for issuing, extending, replacing and reissuing foreigners' residence permits (Chinese) — National Immigration Administration
- Exit and Entry Administration Law of the People's Republic of China (English text), Article 30 — National Immigration Administration
Checked 11 October 2026
This page is an unofficial summary, is not legal or immigration advice, is not published by or affiliated with any of the bodies named above, and if the official text or the instructions of the university, embassy or exit-entry office handling your case differ from what is written here, theirs prevails.